Vehicles such as automobiles are provided with a resin instrument panel in a front part of the cabin. Behind the instrument panel, a metal, high-strength vehicle body member is provided (see Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example).
In general, as shown in FIG. 31, the front part of the cabin (cabin front part FR1) includes a cabin front wall FR2, a cabin floor FR3, and cabin side walls FR4.
As shown in FIG. 3, a high-strength vehicle body member 1 provided in the front part of the cabin includes a high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 which extends substantially in a vehicle width direction 2. In FIG. 3, the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 is formed of a pipe member having a circular cross section. This pipe member has a shape in which its middle portion bulges (toward the front). The high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 includes, at its both ends, side brackets 4 for attachment to left and right vehicle body panels (side panels; not illustrated), respectively.
The high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 is designed mainly for supporting a steering column (not illustrated). For this reason, at a middle portion (driver-seat side portion) in the vehicle width direction 2, the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 includes a column bracket 5 for attachment of the steering column. The column bracket 5 is usually provided to the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 while being divided in the front-rear direction (not illustrated).
Also, at a center portion of the middle portion in the vehicle width direction 2, the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 includes stays 8 that fix a lower portion of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 to a cabin floor 6 (floor panel; see FIG. 5) to thereby support the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 in a vertical direction 7. In FIG. 3, the stays 8 are provided as a pair of left and right stays. The stays 8 are provided with attachment brackets (not illustrated) or the like to which a car audio system (not illustrated), a control box (not illustrated) for controlling the air conditioning system, and the like can be attached. Moreover, for the car audio system, the control box, and the like to be mounted at predetermined positions, the stays 8 are set at positions at a cabin inner side of an instrument panel 9 (see FIG. 5). In FIG. 5, each stay 8 has a shape in which it extends substantially in the vertical direction 7 and an upper end side thereof bends toward the front of the vehicle in a side view. Due to such a shape, the positions of the upper end and the lower end of the stay 8 are different from each other to a large extent in the front-rear direction.
At the driver-seat side portion of the middle portion in the vehicle width direction 2, the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 includes a post bracket 13 that fixes a vehicle-front-side portion of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 to a cabin front wall 11 (dash panel; see FIG. 5) to thereby support the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 in the vehicle front-rear direction 12. In FIG. 3, the post bracket 13 extends in the vehicle front-rear direction 12 and has a substantially U cross-sectional shape with its top open. As shown in FIG. 6, this post bracket 13 is so configured that its strength is about such a level that the post bracket 13 is bent and deformed (crushed) as indicated by an imaginary line upon application of an emergency input load 15 from the front (e.g., displacement of the cabin front wall 11 toward the rear of the vehicle), and that the post bracket 13 is also bent and deformed upon application of knee input loads 16 and 17 (see FIG. 5) by the occupant from the rear of the vehicle. To achieve such a strength, a notch, some other frangible portions 18 (see FIG. 6), and the like are formed in the post bracket 13 to purposely lower the strength of the post bracket 13.
Further, if necessary, the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 includes a knee protector 21 at the driver-seat side portion or a passenger-seat side portion of the middle portion in the vehicle width direction 2 as shown in FIG. 4. The knee protector 21 is capable of receiving the knees of the occupant in an emergency and absorbing the knee input loads 16 and 17 (see FIG. 5). The knee protector 21 includes, for example, knee protection brackets 22 each of which extends downward from a lower portion of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 and has a substantially L or V shape in the side view, and a knee receiving member 23 which directly receives the knees of the occupant. In this case, the knee protection brackets 22 are provided as paired left and right brackets in a way to substantially correspond to both knees of the occupant, respectively. In addition, the knee receiving member 23 is laid between cabin-inner-side end portions of the paired left and right knee protection brackets 22.
Moreover, besides the knee protector 21 described above, there exists a knee protector such as one shown in FIG. 5 which is made suitable for occupants of different physical sizes by including different knee protection brackets, namely, upper knee protection brackets 24 capable of receiving mainly the knees of an occupant of an average physical size and absorbing the knee input load 16 thereof, and lower knee protection brackets 25 capable of receiving mainly the knees of an occupant of a small physical size and absorbing the knee input load 17 thereof. Note that the knee protector 21 in FIG. 4 does not have such a function to handle different physical sizes.
As described above, the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 is attached to the unillustrated left and right vehicle body panels (side panels) with the help of the side brackets 4 provided at both ends of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3.
The high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 basically functions to support the steering column through the column bracket 5.
Moreover, the stays 8 provided to the middle portion, in the vehicle width direction 2, of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 function to fix the lower portion of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 to the cabin floor 6 (floor panel) to support the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 mainly in the vertical direction 7. By the stays 8, it is possible to suppress vibrations of the steering column and the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 in the vertical direction 7, and the like.
The post bracket 13 provided to the middle portion, in the vehicle width direction 2, of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 functions to fix the vehicle-front-side portion of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part to the cabin front wall 11 (dash panel) to support the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 mainly in the vehicle front-rear direction 12. The post bracket 13 also functions to prevent the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 from being displaced toward the rear of the vehicle, being bent, and so on, by being bent and deformed (crushed) before the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 is deformed, upon application of the emergency input load 15 from the front of the vehicle, as illustrated in FIG. 6. The post bracket 13 also functions to prevent the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 from being displaced toward the front of the vehicle, being bent, and so on, by being bent and deformed (crushed) before the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 is deformed, upon application of the knee input loads 16 and 17 by the occupant from the cabin inner side.
The knee protector 21 provided to the middle portion, in the vehicle width direction 2, of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 3 functions to absorb the knee input loads 16 and 17 in an emergency by receiving the knees of the occupant via the knee receiving member 23 and allowing the knee protection brackets 22 to be bent and deformed (crushed).
Further, the structure in FIG. 5 functions based on the height at which the knees hit the knee receiving remember 23; that is, mainly the upper knee protection brackets 24 are bent and deformed (crushed) to absorb the knee input load 16 from an occupant of an average physical size, whereas mainly the lower knee protection brackets 25 are bent and deformed (crushed) to absorb the knee input load 17 from an occupant of a small physical size.
With the configuration as described above, it is possible to prevent the occupant from being thrown out of the vehicle and the like accidents in the event that an emergency input load is inputted to the vehicle, for example.
Meanwhile, behind the instrument panel, a metal, high-strength vehicle body member having a different structure may be provided (see Patent Document 1, for example).
As shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, a high-strength vehicle body member 202 provided in a front part of a cabin 201 includes a high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204 which extends substantially in a vehicle width direction 203.
This high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204 is usually formed of a pipe member having a circular cross section. This pipe member is so formed that its driver-seat side (large-diameter pipe portion 205) is thick and its passenger-seat side (small-diameter pipe portion 206) is narrow. Between the large-diameter pipe portion 205 and the small-diameter pipe portion 206, a tapered joining portion 207 is provided to continuously join both pipe portions while absorbing the difference in diameter therebetween. The large-diameter pipe portion 205 and the tapered joining portion 207 are integrally fixed to each other by welding (all around welding), and the tapered joining portion 207 and the small-diameter pipe portion 206 are integrally fixed to each other by welding (all around welding). Meanwhile, in FIG. 22, the high-strength vehicle body member 202 is shown as a member for a left-hand drive vehicle.
The high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204 includes, at its both ends, side brackets 209 that are attachable to left and right vehicle body panels (side panels; not illustrated). These side brackets 209 are integrally fixed to the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204 by welding.
In addition, at a middle portion in the vehicle width direction 203, the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204 includes a stay 212 that fixes a lower portion of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204 to a cabin floor (floor panel; not illustrated) to thereby support the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204. This stay 212 extends substantially in a vertical direction 213. The upper end of the stay 212 is integrally fixed to the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204 by welding.
Further, at the middle portion in the vehicle width direction 203, the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204 includes column brackets 215 and 216 through which a steering column 214 (see FIG. 23) can be attached at least to a lower portion of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204. These column brackets 215 and 216 are usually provided on front and rear sides of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204, respectively. Moreover, each of the column brackets 215 and 216 is usually provided as a pair of left and right column brackets. The column brackets 215 and 216 are integrally fixed to the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204 by welding.
The high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204 also includes a post bracket 217 capable of supporting a vehicle-front-side portion of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204.
As shown in FIG. 23, this post bracket 217 has a substantially bifurcated shape in the side view including: a main-part supporting portion 221 provided between a cabin front wall 218 (dash panel) and the vehicle-front-side portion of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204; and a column supporting portion 222 provided between the cabin front wall 218 (dash panel) and the column bracket 215 at the vehicle front side.
The post bracket 217 is formed of a single vertical surface portion 223. A horizontal flange portion 224 which is obtained by bending is provided at the upper end of this vertical surface portion 223 (an upper end portion of the main-part supporting portion 221). This horizontal flange portion 224 has a small and substantially fixed width.
A front-wall attachment portion 225 which is attachable to the cabin front wall 218 is provided to a middle portion of the bifurcated post bracket 217, i.e., a portion at which the front end of the main-part supporting portion 221 and the front end of the column supporting portion 222 meet. As shown in FIG. 24, this front-wall attachment portion 225 includes a contact surface 226 capable of contacting the cabin front wall 218, and a fastening portion 227, such as a screw hole, provided through this contact surface 226.
The post bracket 217 (main-part supporting portion 221 and the like) is also provided with a frangible portion such as a notch (emergency deformation frangible portion; not illustrated) as appropriate so that the post bracket 217 (main-part supporting portion 221 and the like) may not be deformed under normal conditions but may be deformed in an emergency (e.g., when an emergency input load is inputted from the front).
Further, as shown in FIG. 23, the cabin-inner-side end of the main-part supporting portion 221 of the post bracket 217 is integrally fixed to the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204 by welding (welded portion 231). In addition, the cabin-inner-side end of the column supporting portion 22 of the post bracket 217 is integrally fixed to a vehicle-front-side end portion of the column bracket 215 by welding (welded portion 232).
As described above, the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204 is attached to the left and right vehicle body panels (side panels) with the help of the side brackets 209 provided at both ends of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204.
The high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204 basically functions to support the steering column 214 through the column brackets 215 and 216.
Moreover, the stay 212 provided to the middle portion, in the vehicle width direction 203, of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204 functions to fix the lower portion of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204 to the unillustrated cabin floor (floor panel) to support the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204 mainly in the vertical direction 213. By the stay 212, it is possible to suppress vibrations of the steering column 214 and the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204 in the vertical direction 213, and the like.
Moreover, the post bracket 217 provided to the middle portion, in the vehicle width direction 203, of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204 functions to fix the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204 in the vehicle front-rear direction 233 with the main-part supporting portion 221 fixing the vehicle-front-side portion of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204 to the cabin front wall 218 (dash panel).
The post bracket 217 also functions such that the column supporting portion 222 supports the steering column 214 in the vehicle front-rear direction 233, the vertical direction 213, and the circumferential direction (rotational direction) of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204 through the column bracket 215 at the vehicle front side.
Moreover, as shown in FIG. 24, the post bracket 217 also functions to prevent the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204 from being displaced toward the cabin inner side, being bent, and so on, with the main-part supporting portion 221 of the post bracket 217 being bent and deformed (crushed) before the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 204 is deformed, upon application of the emergency input load 234 from the front in the vehicle front-rear direction 233.
As described above, the post bracket 217 (main-part supporting portion 221 and the like) requires the function which allows the post bracket 217 not to be deformed under normal conditions but allows it to be deformed in an emergency. To achieve such a function, a frangible portion such as a notch (emergency deformation frangible portion; not illustrated) is provided to the post bracket 217 (main-part supporting portion 221 and the like) as appropriate to lower the strength of the post bracket 217 (main-part supporting portion 221 and the like) in an emergency.
Meanwhile, behind the instrument panel, a metal, high-strength vehicle body member having a different structure may be provided (see Patent Documents 2 and 3, for example).
As shown in FIG. 32, a high-strength vehicle body member 305 placed in the cabin front part FR1 (see FIG. 31) includes a high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 307 which extends substantially in a vehicle width direction 306. The high-strength vehicle body member 305 includes side brackets 308 for attaching both ends of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 307 to the left and right cabin side walls FR4 (see FIG. 31), respectively. The high-strength vehicle body member 305 also includes stays 309 capable of supporting the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 307 on the cabin floor FR3 (see FIG. 31). The high-strength vehicle body member 305 also includes a post bracket 311 capable of supporting the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 307 on the cabin front wall FR2.
The high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 307 includes a column bracket 313 capable of supporting a steering column.
As shown in FIG. 33, the high-strength vehicle body member 305 also includes air-conditioning-unit attachment portions 315 for fixing an air conditioning unit 314 to the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 307 and the stays 309.
Moreover, as shown in FIG. 35, to the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 307, a knee protector 318 is attached which is capable of receiving the knees of the occupant in an emergency (e.g., when an emergency input load is inputted from the front) and absorbing knee input loads 316U and 316D.
Here, as shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 307 is usually formed of a metal pipe having a circular cross section. Also, because of the difference in required strength, the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 307 includes a large-diameter pipe 321 on the driver-seat side and a small-diameter pipe 322 on the passenger-seat side. The large-diameter pipe 321 and the small-diameter pipe 322 are integrated together with a joining member 324 therebetween. This joining member 324 is a tapered, short tubular member or the like. The large-diameter pipe 321 and the joining member 324 are fixed to each other by welding (all around welding), and the joining member 324 and the small-diameter pipe 322 are fixed to each other by welding (all around welding).
The aforementioned stays 309 are usually made of metal. The stays 309 are attached to a substantially center portion of a middle portion, in the vehicle width direction 306, of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 307. The number of stays 309 provided is usually one or two. The stays 309 extend substantially in a vertical direction 325. An upper end portion of each stay 309 is fixed to a lower portion of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 307 by welding or bolting (in the case of FIG. 31, bolted in the vehicle width direction 306). The upper end portion of the stay 309 is bolted at about such a level that it would not come off in an emergency. Also, a lower end portion of each stay 309 is bolted to the cabin floor FR3 (in the case of FIG. 31, bolted in the vehicle width direction 306).
The aforementioned post bracket 311 is usually made of metal. The post bracket 311 is attached to a driver-seat side portion of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 307 (large-diameter pipe 321). The post bracket 311 extends substantially in a vehicle front-rear direction 326. A front end portion of the post bracket 311 is fixed to the cabin front wall FR2. Moreover, a rear end portion of the post bracket 311 is fixed to a vehicle-front-side portion of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 307, either directly or indirectly with the column bracket 313 therebetween. The rear end portion of the post bracket 311 is fixed by welding to the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 307 or to the column bracket 313. Note that the post bracket 311 is configured to be crushed in an emergency as shown in FIG. 34 so as to reduce the distance of rearward displacement of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 307 and to absorb an emergency input load 327. Thus, a frangible portion 328 is provided to the post bracket 311.
The aforementioned column bracket 313 is usually made of metal. The column bracket 313 is attached to a driver-seat side of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 307 (large-diameter pipe 321). The column bracket 311 is provided on both front and rear sides of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 307 so that the steering column can be fixed at its two, front and rear portions (not shown). The column bracket 313 is fixed by welding to the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 307.
The aforementioned air-conditioning-unit attachment portions 315 are attached to the center portion of the middle portion, in the vehicle width direction 306, of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 307, the stays 309, and the like. Usually, the air conditioning unit 314 is mainly made of resin.
The aforementioned knee protector 318 is attached to the driver-seat side portion (large-diameter pipe 321) or a passenger-seat side portion (small-diameter pipe 322) of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 307. In the case of FIG. 35, the knee protector 318 includes different brackets, namely, upper brackets 318a for the knees of an occupant of an average physical size, and lower brackets 318b for the knees of an occupant of a small physical size. The upper brackets 318a are joined to the lower brackets 318b by a knee receiving member 318c. 
According to such a configuration, when the emergency input load 327 is applied to the vehicle (vehicle body) from the front thereof in an emergency, the cabin front wall FR2 and the left and right cabin side walls FR4 are displaced toward the rear of the vehicle, which in turn displaces the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 307 toward the rear of the vehicle by way of the post bracket 311, the side brackets 308, and the like. In this event, the post bracket 311 functions to reduce the distance of displacement of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 307 toward the rear of the vehicle and absorb the emergency input load 327 by allowing the frangible portion 328 to be crushed as shown in FIG. 34.
Moreover, when the cabin front wall FR2 is displaced toward the rear of the vehicle in an emergency, the cabin front wall FR2 crushes the air conditioning unit 314 that is mainly made of resin. This makes it possible to reduce the distances of rearward displacement of the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 307 and the stays 309 and to absorb the emergency input load 327.
Furthermore, the knee protector 318 provided to the high-strength-vehicle-body-member main part 307 functions to absorb the knee input loads 316U and 316D in an emergency by receiving the knees of the occupant via the knee receiving member 318c and allowing the upper brackets 318a and the lower brackets 318b to be bent and deformed (crushed).
The knee protector 318 functions such that mainly the upper brackets 318a are bent and deformed (crushed) to absorb the input load 316U (top one in FIG. 35) from an occupant of an average physical size, whereas mainly the lower brackets 318b are bent and deformed (crushed) to absorb the knee input load 316D (bottom one in FIG. 35) from an occupant of a small physical size. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the occupant from being thrown out of the vehicle and the like accidents, for example.